Trusted Execution Environment for Restorable Privacy Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies fail to effectively protect individual privacy by de-identifying personal information while allowing its restoration under limited conditions, and they do not prevent unauthorized access or leakage of personal information during data processing, storage, and transmission.
Innovation Solution
A smart contract-based trusted execution environment is used to generate and manage encryption keys, decrypt personal information, process it according to specific codes, and securely delete the data after use, ensuring privacy protection through encryption and secure data handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If personal information is de-identified through data deletion, pseudonymization, categorization, or data masking, then individual privacy is protected, but the ability to restore personal information under limited conditions is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments personal information into two distinct parts: de-identified data for general processing and encryption keys for restoration. The de-identification process separates identifiable information from essential data, allowing the data to be used for processing while maintaining the capability to restore identity when needed by combining the de-identified data with the stored encryption key under authorized conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing de-identification before data processing while预先 preserving the encryption key. This preliminary de-identification protects privacy during processing, storage, and transmission, while the pre-preserved encryption key enables restoration when needed, resolving the contradiction between immediate privacy protection and future restoration capability.
2Reliability
If personal information is de-identified before data processing, storage, and transmission, then access to personal information is blocked and privacy is protected, but the ability to process identified personal information when needed is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - the encryption key - that mediates between de-identified data and identified personal information. The de-identified data serves as an intermediary state that protects privacy during processing while maintaining the mathematical or cryptographic relationship needed for restoration. This intermediary approach allows both privacy protection and processing capability to coexist.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming personal information into de-identified form through cryptographic or mathematical transformations. These parameter changes (such as hashing, encryption, or pseudonymization) are designed to be reversible under specific conditions, allowing the data to be processed in de-identified form while enabling restoration when authorized, thus maintaining both privacy and processing capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If encryption keys are used to de-identify personal information, then personal information can be restored under limited conditions, but the risk of unauthorized access and external leakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the encryption key from the data processing workflow and stores it separately in a secure manner. By taking out the key from the processing pipeline and storing it independently with restricted access controls, the system enables restoration capability while minimizing the attack surface. The key is extracted from general access and placed in a secure storage mechanism with limited access permissions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by implementing security measures against unauthorized access before any data processing or restoration attempts. This includes secure key storage mechanisms, access control policies, and audit trails that prevent unauthorized restoration attempts. The preliminary security measures counteract potential harmful actions by establishing defensive barriers before attacks can occur.
4Reliability
If a trusted execution environment is created for each data processing request, then personal information is securely processed, but system complexity and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple trusted execution environment operations into a unified blockchain-based framework. Instead of implementing separate complex TEE mechanisms for each processing request, the system combines key management, de-identification, processing, and restoration capabilities into an integrated blockchain smart contract framework, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal trusted execution environment that handles multiple functions through blockchain smart contracts. The same blockchain infrastructure and smart contract mechanisms serve for key management, de-identification, data processing authorization, and restoration, eliminating the need for separate specialized systems for each function and reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
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Figure 2b~2c
Figure 3
AI summary
A method for processing personal information using a smart contract-based trusted execution environment comprises the steps of: generating a trusted execution environment including a data processing code and a second encryption key in a data processing platform server in response to a data processing request according to a smart contract on a blockchain; acquiring first data and a first encryption key from a data generation device and an encryption key supply device; decrypting the first data using the first encryption key; generating a data processing result by processing the decrypted data according to the data processing code; providing the data processing result to the data processing request device; and destroying the trusted execution environment according to the smart contract.